Construction spending

By Katie Eagan, assistant editor

Given the economic disarray surrounding the country right now, the green industry is fortunately not losing that much ground.

In September, construction spending did not fall as much as expected, even amid the disruption in activity during the month. Residential building declined but that has been the trend with the weaknesses in housing starts beginning in early summer. Newly completed residential units fell 0.6 percent, which was due to cutbacks in single-family building.

Nonresidential projects for September were completed at about the same rate as August. The drop for new non-residential buildings was 0.4 percent and the combination of retail and warehouse categories led the decline. However, the office market showed stability for the first time since July.

Highway and street completed construction dropped down for the second consecutive month. On a lighter note, public construction rose 1.2 percent.Source: Economy.com's The Dismal Scientist